BUTTER

Creamy and sweet with a hint of saltiness, everything tastes better with butter.

More specifically, small batch jersey cow butter which is even more rich and creamy than "regular" butter. Butter is made by ‘agitating’ or churning fresh milk until the fat separates from the liquid, leaving butter and buttermilk. The butterfat can then be used as a spread, to cook or bake with, or as a melted topping. Butter or some very close variation of butter can be found in almost every culture that produces some type of animal dairy. Although, it is typically produced from cow’s milk, you can also make butter from sheep, goat, buffalo, really any milk that has fat in it. I recently purchased some buffalo butter and found it to be wonderful in flavor and mouthfeel.

From a culinary perspective, butter can be made from non-homogenized dairy. I thought it would be a challenge to make but through a simply trial and error found the best way was simply to place it in a jar and shake it until the fat became a little round golden ball and the buttermilk poured off. You can then add a touch of salt if desired, however, I found that, especially with raw milk from grass fed cows, there was already a delightful balance of sweet and salt. Once you have your butter it can be made into any number of things, even browned into a delicious caramel.

From a health perspective, it’s unfortunate that the media and poorly orchestrated studies created such a trend towards the avoidance of fat. After more thorough scrutiny of the data and with the introduction of new data, we now know that saturated fats are not quite the culprit they’ve been identified as with reference to heart disease and cholesterol levels. There is now ample research specific to some of the properties that are found in quality butter demonstrating that it can be a healthful addition to your dietary repertoire. For example, butter, especially butter from pasture raised, grass fed animals, contains medium chain fatty acid much like coconut oil; making it a more desirable choice for consumption. Remember that medium chain triglycerides are actually some of the fat good guys and can do things like help with balanced brain and nervous system function. MCT’s in appropriate amounts can contribute to weight loss and cardiovascular health and cellular regeneration. Butter also contains butyric acid, which helps keep your digestive bacteria happy and healthy; so it is a great option for people trying to manage chronic digestive inflammation and ailments; including IBS and Crohn’s Disease. Of course, the caveat is, we are talking moderation and quality ingredients. The latest craze is putting butter or coconut oil in coffee, the truth of the matter is, it is going to depend on a person’s specific metabolic structure and body type to determine whether that will be a healthy option for them. For some people it will prove an absolute disaster and for others a complete gem.

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Food From The Foreshore

We’d talked a lot about the mysterious world of the foreshore at BohemainMojo so Stephanie and I decided we’d take a look at the way mankind explores this enigmatic expanse of tidal marsh, exposed strata, rock pools, sand levels and seaweed beds.

For thousands of years mankind has ventured onto this hazardous, intertidal zone in search of food to forage. We know that because of the evidence left by hunter gatherers. Not least of which are the huge middens of limpet shells which they’d collected to cook on heated, flat stones.